2010 Dodge Ram problems & reliability
27 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2010 Dodge Ram, alongside 5 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
2 complaints report injuries (2 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2010 Dodge Ram vehicles were involved in 130 fatal crashes with 40 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 7 | 26% |
| Electrical System | 6 | 22% |
| Air Bags | 4 | 15% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 2 | 7% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 7% |
| Child Seat | 1 | 4% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 4% |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 4% |
| Service Brakes, Electric | 1 | 4% |
| Steering | 1 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 11,513 miles (middle 50% between 3,385 and 52,188 miles), based on 20 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2010 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the ignition switch failed…”
Air Bags · filed Nov 14, 2024
“The contact owns a 2010 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, there was a loud bang underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that the rear axle was completely locked in position, causing the rear wheels to start dragging while the contact was pulling to the side of the road. The…”
Power Train · filed Feb 9, 2023
“The contact owned a 2010 Ram 1500. The contact stated while approaching their parked vehicle, the contact noticed black smoke coming in from the inside of the vehicle. The contact open the front driver side door and noticed that the driver side door control panel and the front driver seat and floor panel had melted…”
Electrical System · filed Jan 5, 2022
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Outer Tie Rod Failure
Preliminary Evaluation PE11009 · opened Apr 4, 2011 · closed Feb 6, 2012 · led to recall 11V350000
Technical service bulletins
2 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2010 Dodge Ram.
Dodge: see document search button for owner letter. Vehicles may experience water ingression in outer tie rod ends. *pe
CSN-L04 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 1, 2011
Ram/dodge jeep service campaign: see document search button for owner letter. The engine water pump on certain vehicles may leak coolant. Engine operation with a low coolant level could cause engine damage or low cabin…
CSN-K20 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 1, 2010
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2010 Dodge Ram has 5 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2010 Dodge Ram?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 11,513 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.